The Stranger He's Always Known
by Color-de-la-Musica
Summary: DISCONTINUED.
1. Prologue

**Thanks to everyone that's giving this story a chance. ^^ I really hope you enjoy this prologue, even though it's kinda sad.**

**This IS an OC fic, but it's not a SUZAKUxOC fic! It's SuzakuxEuphie and GinoxOC. How that's gonna fit together, you'll see very soon.**

**And now, please enjoy the beginning of _The Stranger He's Always Known_!!**

* * *

**PROLOGUE**

_A Doppelganger?_

* * *

The students of Ashford Academy turned from avidly alert and talkative to solemnly quiet and nervous as their special Eleven student passed them by, his once-green-now-bloodshot eyes boring into them so deeply that either they froze or frantically ran away as they saw him. The somber aura around the student was so enormous one could touch it by lifting their finger a foot away from him. And no one could truly blame him. What had happened to their fellow schoolmate had probably affected him more than it had the whole Britannian Empire.

Today was the day of the funeral of Euphemia li Britannia, Third Princess of the Britannian Empire. Though now, around the world and not just Britannians and Elevens, she had earned a title because of a series of Eleven killings that had occurred the other day. A title that she did not deserve, had done everything in her power not to earn, and one she would be crying horrifically over the fact she'd received such a scornful name…

"The Massacre Princess."

No one dared to even whisper the phrase as he passed by, fearing for their safety and counting their lucky stars that a baka wouldn't let it slip off his tongue and get sent to the hospital. Having been in the army and achieving a record of martial arts training beforehand, their special and loved Eleven was most definitely not one to be messed with in hand-to-hand combat.

Still, Knight and Honorary Britannian Kururugi Suzaku, to them, was one of the unluckiest people in the world at that moment. Almost everyone knew that the deceased princess and her Knight were both very attached to each other, or at least had a hunch about it. His eyes lacked the luster they had once seen shine so brightly when he was around; his straight, swift, confident gait he'd displayed was now deteriorated to a trudging slump. His brown, curly hair that had seemed to glimmer so happily with his mood, now held no healthiness, some strands even unattractively hanging limp down his neck. Their once suave, friendly classmate now looked like a hobo that had been kicked off one-too-many cargo trains.

"…Suzaku."

Everyone in the hallway where the knight walked froze, shocked that anyone would dare talk to a depressed, perhaps even angry Britannian soldier in this state. Their fear only heightened as they saw the young second year stop in his tracks. Diverting their eyes to the baka who'd spoken his name, they saw one of the most popular boys in Ashford Academy, Student Council member Lelouch Lamperouge. He had his signature calm and professional look on his face, but few could catch glimmers of sadness and sympathy within his eyes. Most would wonder why, if they'd known what Lelouch was doing behind their backs. (Becoming Zero and then reluctantly shooting his half-sister, that was all.) When Suzaku made it clear he would not traverse back the way he came, Lelouch walked toward him, his shoes clicking loudly against the marble floors since no one had made a single movement since the moment he'd spoken.

"…Yes, Lelouch?" Suzaku whispered hoarsely, bloodshot eyes staring at him with a tinge of rage in the depths of grief.

"Will you be attending Euphie's funeral?" Lelouch whispered quietly in his friend's ear, since he didn't want anyone to hear him address the deceased princess in such an informal, personal way; it'd make them seem more suspicious than they seemed at the very moment.

Suzaku nodded. "Yeah. How about you?"

"What kind of a brother would I be if I didn't?" Lelouch answered, "Though given my and Nunnally's status, I'll have to make myself scarce." Suzaku did not miss the regret that had, for a second, flickered in his former best friend's purple eyes. The reason why was all to clear to the knight and that specific fact made his blood broil. The violet-eyed wretch he was looking at was no brother of the princess, no best friend of his. Not at all…

He was the very cruel bastard that killed his own kin; and, dare he say that she 'belonged' to him – Suzaku's Euphie.

Though, trying not to publicly show his hate, Suzaku pulled a weak smile. "Right. Well, I'll see you later," he murmured, before both Student Council members parted separate ways, leaving the remaining Academy students to wonder what had been going on.

As the day went on, the atmosphere outside seemed to grow darker and darker, gray clouds colliding over each other to produce a fluffy gray blanket. The blanket grew duller and duller, wider and wider, until all of Area 11 – formerly known as the country of Japan – could hear the lashing rain from inside their homes, schools, or workplaces.

It felt like that not just Area 11 – the whole world – knew of the kind, gentle, peaceful princess's passing. The whole world knew what a compassionate leader-to-be it had lost, what an important figure to ending the violent war had just vanished off the face of the earth.

Though no one felt that loss more than Suzaku.

* * *

"And so may the great spirits above watch over their newly welcomed child, as we…" a large crowd of people clothed in black sat inside the wooden pews of a candle-lit church, their sorrow blocking out the pouring rain outside. The funeral of Princess Euphemia became a private, small one compared to the larger one of Clovis beforehand, since Euphemia had killed so many Elevens and many were afraid of angry mobs forming close to them and trying to eliminate the corpse. Now only the royals of Britannia were present, plus a few others that were of Britannian heritage. In the first row were those who'd been closest to the princess: Her mother, Lady Amelia li Britannia, (Emperor Charles zi Britannia wasn't present for whatever bogus reason), her sister, Second Princess Cornelia li Britannia, and her personal Knight, Warrant Officer Kururugi Suzaku. Whichever other children of the Britannian Emperor that had been available were scattered throughout the church, feeling it their duty to pay their last respects to their half-sister.

The open coffin revealed the peaceful figure of the princess, hands clasped over the other on her stomach. Despite the unnatural position, anyone could have believed that the princess was only lost in a blissful sleep.

Cornelia li Britannia, the princess who was most renowned for her passive exterior and fierce battle skills, looked so different at that moment. No longer did that hardened side show now that her beloved little sister was gone. Now the trademark lavender eyes that belonged to most Britannian princesses on Cornelia's face were wide, as if she were in a terrifying trance, and bloodshot, from crying so much before. Now, even though she hardly made a sound, tears mercilessly streamed down her cheeks as her mouth hung open, perhaps still in newly-obtained shock.

It was their mother, Amelia, who was making the most noise at the loss of her youngest daughter. Amelia had Cornelia's dark purple hair, but she had Euphemia's eye shape. Her face structure was much like the Third Princess's as well.

Suzaku just stared at the opened coffin, eyes distant as he remembered the day he'd first met the princess, when she'd jumped from that building and into his arms, completely by coincidence. How many precious, happy times they'd spent together, how many of her smiles had brightened his day in an instant…it felt like they'd happened millennia ago. He would never see those wide lavender eyes shine with optimism and kindness, never feel her delicate hand holding his for comfort, never hear her laugh or giggle or make any other sound again. Never, never again. And it had all just crashed down on him at that very moment.

His beloved, most treasured Euphie…was gone.

The funeral was soon over with, and everyone lined up to say their final goodbyes to the princess, the back rows going first. Suzaku, being the closest to the edge in the front left pew, stared at them, if only to halt the lingering image of a bloodied, cherry blossom-haired Euphemia from his mind. In the line he recognized only a few fellow military personnel, and less nobility. Though he did notice a figure about the same height as him, but with black hair peeking out from the hat that covered his eyes. His eyes hardened with hatred through his newly-fallen tears as he recognized his most hated enemy as of the moment of Euphemia's death: Zero.

His gaze hardened even more as he saw tears trickling down the former prince's pale cheeks. He knew, just _knew_ that those tears were forced, fake. _Two-faced bastard,_ he thought, his clenching a fist. _Why the hell did he even come? He doesn't feel any guilt. None. _He wanted to shout out right then and there that Zero was present and that he was actually Lelouch vi Britannia, lost Eleventh Prince of the Britannian Empire, bent on obliterating his own heritage.

And yet he couldn't gather enough courage to do so. His rationality kicked itself back into his mind, and Suzaku forced himself to calm down. What evidence could he have based his would-be claim on? A young, blond, flippin' _immortal_ child that was the Emperor's _older _twin brother, had told him about a strange but powerful ability provided to Lelouch known as a Geass. A power that came in forms as different as the people of the world; Lelouch specifically had been given the Geass to command a person to do anything as long as he and his victim had direct eye contact, which he'd used to possess Euphie to kill the Elevens, leading to the princess's own assassination.

Oh, as much as he wanted to scream to the world what a sadistic, inhumane being Zero was, he knew that he'd just be called insane himself and booked into the nearest madhouse. Focusing on the parade of mourners, his blood boiled even more as he saw Lelouch place a (surely false) loving hand on the princess's forehead, his tears falling onto the coffin's white cloth that cushioned the dead princess's corpse.

His hate subsided immediately as a flash of pink hair appeared by his pew. The knight's head whipped to the side so fast he was lucky he didn't snap it in half, but he was too shocked to care at the moment. Cascading down a female mourner's back was a cloud of wavy pink hair that resembled a sea of sakura. _Euphie…_ his eyes widened, and after a long time, joy was threatening to touch the boundaries of his stoned heart, and the tips of his lips started to lift upwards.

Until he saw the mourner's eyes as she stroked the princess's forehead with her own gloved hand. Forest green, so much like his own… As bewildering as it was, Suzaku's heart was hardened once more at the revelation of the suspicious woman not being his Euphie…

He just realized right now he'd been calling her _his_ Euphie for the past time after her death, causing the young military officer to blush under his already salty and reddened cheeks. How unlike him, to speak and think of his Princess in such a personal way. Even though it was posthumous, it still wasn't appropriate. Not at all, since he was an Eleven. After a sob was heard throughout the quiet church, he looked up to see the sakura-haired woman on her knees, crying for the princess. Her face was somehow at an angle where he could see her face fully.

She looked so much like Euphie that it was uncanny. Her pink hair that waved throughout its length, her delicate face…the only thing that truly made a difference were her green eyes that were now becoming bloodshot from the amount of tears she was shedding. After a few more sobs with her face buried in her delicate, white-gloved hands, the woman stood up, her composure regained, and bowed before the coffin before exiting back to her pew, adjourning across Suzaku's pew while doing so.

And for a flitting moment that seemed to last an eternity, forest green met forest green before the girl looked away quickly and proceeded back.

For the first time since the funeral began – as Suzaku stared at the pink hair, eyes wide in astonishment – he managed to croak out a whisper.

"…Euphie…"

* * *

The rain poured down on the remaining black-clad group of mourners as they sadly watched the white coffin being cradled into the ground below. No one cried now, since they had left their tears once they'd exited the church doors. Like it had been in the church, the people who had been closest to Princess Euphemia were standing at the front, Amelia and her only remaining daughter sharing an umbrella held by the younger, and Suzaku holding one for himself, vanity nagging at his mind as he briefly hoped he wouldn't get his new suit dirty.

Lelouch had long disappeared, having exited the church quietly once he had escaped that line of mourners in which Suzaku had witnessed a supposed clone of his beloved former charge. Said suspected clone was standing in the far back, fully prepared to be the first one to exit the cemetery. She'd been the first one present at the graveyard also, Suzaku having passed by her. At that moment, he'd caught a glimpse of her face. So much like Euphie's and yet so different. Why couldn't he get over that fact?

He disguised his heart wrenching sorrow by pulling on a stoic gaze as he watched the white coffin go five feet under, forever sealing that Euphemia was never coming back to the world of the living, as much as he would have done anything in his power to keep her there.

Sobs from Lady Amelia rang louder than ever before, her grief overflowing more than the rain. Trembling, she stepped in front of Suzaku, where the now-buried coffin laid under dirt and grass, a marble tombstone the only reminder of their lost princess. Finally, the usually sophisticated consort of King Charles zi Britannia collapsed on her knees, apparently not caring if her expensive black dress was dirtied. With tears melding in with the rain on her wet face – now that she was out of the shared umbrella with Cornelia – the violet-haired lady snapped her head up to the gray sky, and pierced the sound of the pouring rain with her blood-curdling cry:

"_**EUPHIE!!!!" **_

Cornelia, out of the sad trance she'd been until her mother had let out that shriek, went to her and, in a short moment of showing affection, tried to hug her mother, but Amelia pushed her away. Instead, the grieving mother whipped around to Suzaku, her eyes glaring up at his shocked face. _"You,"_ she snarled in a voice dripping with angry ice, "You…_**Eleven!**_ _You_ didn't protect her! _You_ were her Knight! How could you!? _**HOW COULD YOU LET MY BABY DIE?!**_" The distraught mother extended her arm as she quickly stood up, ready to slap a still bewildered Suzaku. All she was focused on was harming the demon that failed to save her little girl's life.

A hand grabbed Amelia's wrist, one that was covered in a white glove. Suzaku's wide eyes shifted slowly to the left to see a stern Princess Cornelia staring at her mother sympathetically. Said mother looked at her daughter with shocked eyes, still bloodshot and wild from her intended attack. "Corlie…" Amelia whispered, the name apparently a nickname for the princess (that said princess hated with a passion when spoken outside her immediate family.) "But…"

There was a silence, Cornelia still keeping a firm grip on her mother's wrist. "Mother," she said, her voice cracking from sorrow, but still clear like it always had been. "Sir Kururugi was _not_ responsible for Euphie's death." Suzaku, along with Cornelia's own Knight, Gilbert G. P. Guilford and many others, were shocked that the Second Princess was protecting an Eleven, even though she didn't approve of Numbers whatsoever. "Zero was the one. Sir Kururugi would _never_ let Euphie die." This time, she looked at Suzaku straight in the eye, indirectly speaking her next words to him. "He was a superb protector for her; he did his duty well." Her eyes were downcast for a few slow seconds, and then she looked up again. "Thank you…Suzaku…for being there for her when I couldn't be."

Still mildly surprised at Cornelia's defense of him, Suzaku merely bowed, nodding as his face was facing the ground. As he looked up he met the face of a calmed Lady Amelia. She looked away, her eyes showing shame for her actions. "Forgive me, Sir Kururugi…" she whispered. Suzaku was just about to say that she was forgiven until her eyes met his. "Euphie…she spoke well of you. I failed to recognize the good feelings she had towards you and I know she was a fond charge of yours." This time, it was she who bowed. "I was rash. Forgive this grieving mother I am."

Now Suzaku was confused, especially since a particular 'grieving mother' had some extreme mood swings. But then, seeing how much she also reminded him of Euphie and how sincere she was, he smiled. "I forgive you, Lady Amelia; I understand what you are going through. But forgive me for not being a better Knight." Amelia, in return, insisted she couldn't have asked for a better Knight for Euphie, since said late princess had told her so many good things about him. Suzaku blushed at this; he hadn't really thought he was so highly regarded by Euphie. As Amelia told him of her memories of the tiny 'Euphie and Corlie' to divert herself from her untimely loss, Suzaku politely paid attention and then snuck a glance at the remaining Princess Cornelia. Her eyes met his, and he flashed a small smile at her, and mouthed to words:

"_Thank you."_ It was for his rescue of Amelia's angry hand; Cornelia caught what he meant. She merely nodded, and continued holding the umbrella above her mother, still staring solemnly at the grave.

Finally, Cornelia insisted that she and her mother be on their way, fearful that either one of them to get cold. Being polite and nothing more, she bid Suzaku farewell with the advice to head on his way as well. Suzaku thanked her but said that he wanted to spend some time alone with Euphie. Cornelia understood and she took her mother towards the car in which her ever-faithful Knight Guilford was waiting in the driver's seat. Suzaku glanced back at them and saw that the Euphie-clone hadn't moved from her place at the stone entrance. She was just staring straight at where he was, almost directly at his face. Moving the most she had in what Suzaku assumed was more than an hour, she saluted him with her fingertips to her eyebrow, legs clamping together. She then eased, now making herself a seat on the entrance's stone wall, keeping dry from under her own umbrella.

Suzaku tried to ignore the strange behavior. He turned back and stared at the grave, this time getting down on one knee and reaching in his suit jacket. Delicately, he pulled out a rose. Such a vibrant, cheerful pink rose that it seemed to cast a glow to be seen by all of Area 11. Sighing, he gently placed the rose on top of the grave, feeling a bit sad that it would soon be drowned by the rain. A pang shot through him as he let himself think how much the rose reminded him of Euphie. Well, it was pink, for the obvious. And then the way it looked so happy, so shining…the way Euphie had always seemed. But he wouldn't ever feel the way he did when he'd spent that time with the princess. The more he thought about her, the more he felt his cheeks start to heat up, the more he felt his shoulders shaking. He soon began to taste the salty tears again. Then, without even realizing it, Suzaku found himself bawling like a baby without its pacifier. He felt like it. Euphie had been his pacifier. Without it, he would cry for a long, long time. It was a pathetic way to put it, but put it that way Suzaku did.

"Euphemia…" he sobbed. "Euphie…come back…please."

He gasped lightly as he felt a gentle presence behind his back. Slowly, he turned his head and his eyes met with their exact copies. The doppelganger. "Shh," she said, smiling gently at him. "Shh." He felt her thumbs carefully wipe his tears away. "I think it's time you go home. You've had a rough day, Sir Kururugi."

"Who…?" Suzaku finally choked, still in shock of seeing the spitting image of Euphie back from the grave.

"I used to know the princess…on a…personal level," the stranger said, in a voice that was similar to the deceased princess, but not the exact replica. Still keeping her hand on his shoulder, she got down on both her knees, like the Elevens would while eating. "She was a good person, wasn't she?"

Suzaku could only nod.

"Thought so. But you were so much closer to her," she said, smiling once more. "The whole world lost such a beautiful person, both inside and out." She then stared at the tombstone and they shared a silence. It was interrupted when Suzaku heard her humming a tune. A light, cheery one that was still sweet and dreamy, like a lullaby. Slowly, the girl started to sway gracefully from side to side, her eyes closed while smiling. The honorary Britannian stared at her.

"Uh…"

A giggle emitted from the stranger. "Sorry, it was a song she taught me a long time ago." She patted his shoulder with her hand. "Maybe I can teach it to you someday." She got up, dusting off her black pants and coat. "Until then, don't let Euphie's death get to you." She turned around to walk off, but after she took two steps, she shifted her body to face him at an angle. "I'm sure she wouldn't want it to happen. You were really important to her, Sir Kururugi." An air of calm suddenly came about the stranger, and there was just the sound of the whispering rain. "She wouldn't want you to share her fate until it's your time." Turning her body around to face the entrance, the look-alike walked away, sheltering herself from the rain still. "Until we meet again…Suzaku-san…" she whispered to herself.

Said Knight had been in a daze ever since she'd come forward to comfort him. Realizing that the one and only reminder of Euphie he had besides a feather quill she'd given him, his eyes widened and he fumbled for words, but none came out. He was so distracted that he hadn't noticed he'd dropped his umbrella and was no getting drenched. Finally, he managed to choke out a word. "Wait."

But the order had been too quiet, and now she was gone.

What he wouldn't give to find out who the hell was that girl…

* * *

**I already have the first chapter typed up, but I wanna see how everyone likes this installment before I post it. Please don't get annoyed with my OC. If you do, please say so kindly and not as a total flame. I share my mom's e-mail so I don't want her seeing nasty things.**

**Anyways, enjoy the rest of the weekend!**

**Love,  
Gabby, "Lunarobi Pride"**


	2. Chapter 1: I Win

**Okay, so I couldn't wait and I decided to share the next chapter fairly quickly. I hope it's to the viewers' liking. **

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**CHAPTER 1**

_I Win_

* * *

His eyes stared up at his apartment ceiling, dried from his (rather embarrassing) crying and staring at nothing with pensiveness. The events that had occurred the day before, Third Princess Euphemia's funeral day, still had his usually collective mind reeling. First, as he was in the church and watching a parade of mourners pay their last respects to the princess's open casket, he'd spotted a girl with the same exact hair color as said deceased royal, though she'd had the same forest green eyes of Suzaku himself. She'd quickly looked away once they'd made eye contact, creating her character more suspicious. Then, at the interment, she'd appeared again, but kept her distance away from the other participants, though Suzaku had continuously felt her eyes on his back. If all that hadn't creeped him out, the Euphie-clone had then come to comfort him as he was sitting alone, sobbing before his precious Euphie's grave. She'd even stated she once knew the princess on a personal level, and had hummed a song that Euphie had supposedly taught her. What an oddball… but she was a genuinely nice person, he'd give her that.

_Euphie…_ he thought, closing his eyes a pang shot through his body. He still felt, for some reason, that she was alive, but his mind kept supporting the fact that she had indeed left the world of the living. Why had it been so hard to accept? A soft chuckle escaped from his lips as he thought of the obvious answer. Though he hadn't had a good chance to tell her by the time of her death, he'd loved his charge. Dearly. Not in the best friend, little sister type of love, but the real thing. He'd have done anything to prove it to her, had she asked for it. Sure, the princess had had her faults, like her (kind of cute) naivety, but that had only made her more perfect in his eyes.

Remembering the day they'd first met once more, Suzaku suddenly realized a place where he could say a true goodbye to his Euphie…

The first and only place she'd wanted to go on that day; the Shinjuku ghetto.

Thinking about the location made the Lancelot pilot sigh in slight annoyance; that had been where all this mayhem of immortal twelve year-olds, Geass, the Black Knights and Zero the Bastard started. Even though it was something that reminded him of Euphie, nothing could make him forget the very day he'd been carrying a 'poisonous bomb' for the late Prince Clovis.

_Well, isn't that just **lovely**._

* * *

He was thankful that it wasn't rainy today; he'd nearly caught cold after standing in shock in the rain without his umbrella. He'd have to scold the doppelganger for giving him such a shake-up if he ever managed to find her again. She had said that they'd meet again, though…that'd caught his attention. Wrenching himself back from his thoughts, the young Eleven steadily walked through the streets that led to the subway station. Through there, he'd find the ghetto and visit the memorial to the lives lost that fateful day.

As he walked his noticed people staring at him. Some hatefully, some admiringly. He didn't care; they were entitled to their own opinions of him. Mostly the rebels, such as the Black Knights, of Area 11 called him a traitorous scumbag that succumbed to the enemy, and some rebels and more likely normal citizens thought that he was making a difference, being an Eleven building a high reputation in the Britannian society. Either way, Suzaku just saw himself as himself; a person who was trying to gain power within and change the Holy Britannian Empire peacefully from the inside.

Within half an hour he was treading through the broken streets of the Shinjuku ghetto, staring at the ground blankly as he made his way towards the memorial. Why did every second that passed by feel like a millennia now? Time had seemed so much slower as of late, like the day didn't want to be over and done with like it should be. He continued to entertain himself with pointless thoughts until he heard signs of a struggle. He then heard a girl frightfully shriek into the afternoon.

"_**STOP!!**_ _Please!!_"

Suzaku paused, shocked; he recognized the voice from the day before.

The doppelganger.

He rushed to where he was still hearing the pleas of the girl, which lead him to the back of an alleyway. He stopped at the left entrance, stealthily scooting closer and peeking in on what was going on. His eyes widened. Three older men, perhaps in their mid-twenties, ganging up on Euphie's look-alike. "Stay…stay away…" said girl stammered, backing up against the wall. Suzaku noticed she'd traded the black outfit from yesterday to a set of street clothes. She wore a lavender t-shirt, its hem going past her hips. She wore a black, turtleneck-collared jacket over it, and with finger-less black gloves warming her hands. She also wore a pair of baggy light blue jeans and black tennis shoes. "I'll…I'll…"

"You'll what, Britannian?" asked one of the men gruffly, his greedy hand reaching down towards the girl's jeans. She slapped it away with a growl, tensing her muscles as if preparing for a match. "Oh, me oh my, a feisty one. Looks like we're gonna have some fun, guys." The other two chuckled as they inched even closer to her, the ringleader cupping her chin with his hand. "Whatchya gonna do now, hm?" A merciless smirk plastered itself on the man's face, "Oh, I know: You're gonna be a good little bitch and let us have fun."

"There's a slight… problem," the girl stammered, and then her eyes narrowed in rage. She twirled around like a ballerina and extended her leg out, managing to hit the pervert straight in the face and knocking him back five feet on the ground. "I am _no one's_ bitch."

"Impressive," Suzaku whispered in awe, thinking for a moment that she was better off now. Until one of the two remaining assailants whipped out a knife and a gun.

He sliced at her arm, making her yelp in pain and collapse on the floor, leaning on the wall. "Heh, not so tough now," the attacker snickered, the first and fallen pervert recovering upwards as this second one had his turn leaning in on the girl. "Now who's the good bitch?"

"She already told you – she's not one," Suzaku said from behind him, shocking the assailant and causing him to whip around quickly. Though it wasn't quick enough to stop the Lancelot pilot's fast fist from colliding into his jaw, nearly breaking it in three different places. The man was down for the count and didn't dare get up again.

The girl looked up in grateful amazement at her defender, but then her eyes widened. "Oi! Watch out!" she cried, before wincing at the pain her shoulder was giving off, bleeding like there would be no tomorrow.

Suzaku turned around and saw the last man who hadn't been hit yet. On reflex he spin-kicked him just like the pink-haired girl had, leading to said assailant crashing into a trash bin.

"Stupid wannabe Britannian," he heard a voice from behind him growl. He turned around and saw the first pervert behind him, holding the second one's gun from ten feet across from him. "Let's see how _you _like being shot at."

"NO!" the girl cried, and got up from her position on the alley floor. She ran at breakneck speed to stop right in front of Suzaku at the very moment the man pulled the trigger.

Had she not taken the bullet to the same shoulder that'd been slashed, that would have been the second time Kururugi Suzaku had gotten shot in the Shinjuku ghetto. With a scream of pain, the cherry-blossom-haired girl fell to the ground on her side, crying at the agony she was experiencing.

Seeing his one reminder of Euphie being bloodied made his own blood broil past its point. With a shout of anger, he delivered an erratic array of lightning-fast blows to the twisted man, getting both the heel of his shoes and the knuckles of his hands slightly stained with red. He back-flipped onto the ground as their last adversary fell to the pavement. Not dead, but definitely hurt. _Speaking of hurt,_ he rushed to his rescuer's side, shaking the shoulder that hadn't been wounded gently. "Are you still awake?"

"Nng…" the girl groaned, trying to use her good elbow for balance as she attempted in getting up. "My arm…" she choked, sniffling from the tears she'd shed from the pain. Her weak green eyes stared at her rescuer's. "Thank you…Suzaku-san…" she gasped.

Suzaku merely nodded and scooped her up into his arms. "We need to get you to the hospital." Looking at her shoulder, he noticed that the bullet had hit straight above the slash. How unfortunate. He took off his jacket and used it as a makeshift sling of some sort. He now only had his white t-shirt and dark blue jeans to protect him from the still chilly weather. He got up and started rushing out the alleyway and back to the subway station; he needed to go to the military hospital. He could make sure they'd help her fully recover. "How come they attacked you?" he finally asked as he made it to the station, people clearing their way as they saw him carrying a bloodied teenager.

After wincing from the pain again, the doppelganger managed to hiss, "Because…I look like Euphie. They immediately assumed I was Britannian…lucky guess." Another wince.

"Why'd you take the bullet for me?" he asked as they boarded the train, "Can you hold on until we reach the hospital?"

"I'm pretty sure I can," the Euphie look-alike murmured, trying to force a smile on her face, but to no avail. Suzaku was now holding her in his lap, making the brunet blush slightly at being so familiar with this stranger. "And Euphie…wouldn't want you to die yet… So, with that in mind, I just protected you…like she would have." Her voice was starting to become even hoarser. "Heh, I'm surprised I'm holding out as much as I am… All that practicing with my dad must've paid off," she murmured, partly to herself.

They hung on in silence for the duration of the ride, Suzaku wondering how exactly he was going to explain this whole mess to Lloyd and the rest. Though he couldn't let this girl die. It could have been from the fact he would have witnessed the death of Euphie twice, but also because he felt this compelling feeling to protect her. He didn't know why, but he honestly didn't care. What mattered was that this girl would be safe out of harm's way again. "Thank you…" he finally whispered, and the girl looked up at him in mild surprise from her head's place on his legs. "Even…even if there's nothing more I'd love than to be with Euphie again…thanks for saving me."

"Even though Euphie would feel the same way about seeing you, she wouldn't want you to share her fate," the girl murmured. "I…owe her a lot, that Euphie…" she whimpered at the pain again, this time cringing forwards to try to ease it by applying pressure to it. "Ouch."

"Hang in there," Suzaku said, trying hard to keep his voice calm.

The girl nodded; she didn't need to be told twice. Even if she looked like the deceased princess, she was tougher than her by a mile. Even if she'd never been shot before, she had felt worse pain than this. Much worse. She then looked up at him once more, curiosity overlapping the pain in her emerald eyes. There was something in turn she had to ask of her savior. "Suzaku-san…why'd you come and save me?"

"No one deserves to be treated the way those men treated you," Suzaku said simply, trying to smile at her but failed. "I couldn't let a friend of Euphie's be dishonored like that."

"Thanks, but can I sleep now?" the girl randomly whispered. "I'm tired, Suzaku-san. Could I please sleep? I won't go see Euphie, but I'm just exhausted." She spoke in a voice so kind, just like the dead princess. Suzaku wanted to deny her the chance to sleep because he too was fearful that she would slip away from the world of the living, but seeing the life that still burned in her eyes… It was so much more than the amount Euphie had had when she was in the same state. But this girl was a fighter, he'd already seen… Euphie had just been too frail and too emotionally exhausted; it wasn't a discredit to her on his part, though it was a fact. Euphie wouldn't have been able to stop anyway…

Suzaku nodded. "Yeah, if you tell me your name."

"Cerise…Bellamont," the girl whispered, her eyelids drooping. "But everyone calls me Ceri…" She sighed contently before drifting off into the world of dreams, some children crying to their mothers that the girl had died now. The mothers would shake their heads and deny their children gently, saying that if the girl was still breathing she couldn't possibly be dead.

Praying that they were right with all of his heart, Suzaku stared at the strange girl, still perplexed at the situation he had gotten himself into. _Bellamont-san… Who exactly __**are**__ you?_ The name seemed familiar as well, but he could not understand how at all.

He'd have to have Lloyd and Cécile look into this "Cerise Bellamont" once he got to their hospital.

* * *

Her eyes began to flutter open, seeing a blur of whites and grays… _The hospital…_ she thought, as her eyes furrowed in anguish in order to get used to the harsh lights. _Well, there's no stinging in my shoulder, so I guess I'm fine. _She felt an IV in her wrist; how lovely. _Why do these things always feel so damn awkward? _she grumbled mentally, and then saw another, red tube in her arm. Her green eyes shot open. _Oh, God, no… B-Blood…?_ she knew that she must've been bleeding on the way here, but she'd been so distracted by the pain she hadn't really noticed. Now, clear as day, she saw a whole tube of it, flowing into her veins. _They must have figured out my blood type. Crap, they have a clue…_

"You're awake." A light gasp escaped from her lips and she turned around to see…_him._ He was standing over there, casually propped against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest. His weak smile forced a bigger one on her.

"I know," she said. "Thanks for bringing me here, Suzaku-san. But…" she pointed her IV arm to the blood-tube. "Whose blood is this?"

"Mine," the honorary Britannian answered, holding up his wrist where a bandage was held. "They took a sample of yours and you're blood type O, and so am I. So I volunteered; I thought it'd be faster than checking all the blood to see which would fit."

_Phew! Now I'm safe; what he has is no different than what I have, I guess, _she thought, her face expression relieved. "Thanks again." He smiled and nodded this time, and then his expression turned grim, confused. He was staring at her like he was staring a stranger, the way he had at the cemetery, but not the way he had most recently. That hurt her a bit, since she had assumed she'd made an acquaintance out of him; but now he seemed to hate her for some reason. It couldn't have been because he was risking his blood for her? No, it wasn't that. She just knew something was troubling him. Whatever it was, she needed to find out, so she could fix it. "Suzaku-san, what's wrong?"

"What's your name?" he asked, for the second time that day.

"Cerise Bellamont; I already told you… I think," she answered, but then her eyes narrowed. He wasn't buying it. "Why?"

He held out a notepad, with a single white paper sheet on it. It was completely blank, except for the words 'Bellamont, Cerise' printed on it. "I asked my superiors to run a background check on you –″

"But you didn't find anything," she murmured, not really surprised. "And you wanna know why." She received a nod from her brunet rescuer, and she sighed. He did deserve an explanation, but it was too soon yet. She had no choice but to make up an alibi and fast. "Some agents were after me, trying to recruit me for the things they're involved in. They wanted to go into my files and find something to blackmail me on if it meant I'd join; they can hack any system without a hitch. It's child's-play for them to hack into the government's database of its civilians, so I requested I be deleted from it. They warned me the consequences and I didn't care. So they did and now I technically don't exist; Camille Bureau is dead and now I've become Cerise Bellamont."

"Bureau?" he asked, finding it amusing for someone to have the last name of a type of company. It'd even be funnier if she said her last name were "Incorporated."

She pouted. "Shuddup! I know that it's a bit weird, but just focus on the fact my birth name was Camille. Ignore the surname; it's annoying and stupid." She continued making the face for a whole minute, but then her expression brightened. "Ah, I just remembered! I'll be attending Ashford Academy as Cerise, and I understand you go there too, right?" Suzaku nodded, though a bit shocked at the sudden – and random – revelation. Ceri smiled. "Then it's our little secret, okay?" she placed a finger on her lips to emphasize keeping it quiet. "I'll be a new student council member, too."

"Huh!?" she was amused at his puzzlement, with the shocked eyes and the wide mouth. "The Student Council just keeps growing…" he murmured to himself.

"Yup, but I haven't picked up my uniform yet," she added, now drifting off the subject and into her own little world. "Come to think of it… I don't even have a place to live yet, so I dunno what I'm gonna do…" she sighed, and now tapped her chin with her finger. Suzaku was wondering exactly _why_ she was talking to herself, but he figured he was bound to meet more characters with their certain eccentricities. "Hm…what to do…" she murmured again, her eyebrows furrowed. She hadn't really thought of it before…and she'd been in Area 11 – Japan – for a week already.

"Exactly where've you been all this time, then?" Suzaku asked. He'd planned to take her to her home once she recovered, but thanks to that second random revelation, his plans were dashed at the moment.

Ceri winced. Oh, had this been a rough week. "In an alleyway; I found this big box that I could sleep in, and there was shelter from the rain." Suzaku was staring at her, wide-eyed and mouth agape. It was clear the Knight was shocked that she'd been living

"You can't live there forever, so…"

Ceri's eyes widened as she realized where her rescuer was getting to. _That's not what I had in mind; but spending time with him while I still have it wouldn't be so bad. _"I've imposed on you too much already, Suzaku-san!" she piped, sitting up straight from her bed. "Nuh-uh!"

"Where do you expect to go then, hm?" he asked, his tone a bit harsher than he meant it to be, like a father gently scolding his daughter. Thinking that made Suzaku feel strange again, like being a father was natural with this girl. Said pink-haired teenager pouted and looked down at the ground, crossing her arms over her bust. He expected her to answer, but only silence fell upon the two in the room.

The door slid open and a light blue-haired man in a white lab coat came in, "Hello, everyone!" he boasted loudly. A blue-haired woman in the regular military uniform of a dress coat and skirt came in with a brown notepad, a bit exhausted. Who wouldn't be, with this man's apparent mental problems?

_Kami-sama, Lloyd-san is even more of a pain in the ass here, _Ceri thought, gritting her teeth in annoyance. Lloyd looked at her curiously and smiled.

"Ah, you're awake, Bellamont-san!" he chimed happily, heightening the creepy rapist-factor in Ceri's mind about two levels. Resisting the urge to let her eye twitch at how weird this guy was, Ceri smiled politely at the eccentric visitor.

"Call me Ceri, please, sir. And thank you for treating me; I'm in debt." She'd been close to addressing the man by his given name; had she done that, they'd have gotten suspicious. The last thing she needed was to get discovered so early in time. She wanted to get up and give the two a hug, but she collapsed on her bed once more, still a bit tired from her endeavor. She hated feeling, no, _being_ so useless. Suzaku rushed to help her up, which she personally thought was a very kind gesture, but Ceri held her other hand that wasn't clinging to the sheets in aggravation in order to put his actions to a halt. "Lemme try, Suzaku-san."

"No," he said firmly, but gently, as he placed his hands on her shoulders and kept her on the bed. "You've just been shot and you've lost a lot of blood. Looks like your plans for attending the Academy are gonna be put on hold for…" He blinked as he remembered that he hadn't been the one who'd actually examined her condition, so he motioned his head to the rapist-looking guy and his still pooped assistant.

"About three days," the lab coated man said, shrugging. "You see, Ceri-san, your wound has healed rather progressively in the short time you've been unconscious. It's healed more in six hours than it would have in two days." He looked at her with a slyly kind face. "You're lucky, that you're built like Suzaku-kun here." Both Ceri and Suzaku seemed a bit shocked to hear the similarities that'd been found in them, but Ceri only found it common sense. She'd known those similarities when she was a child.

Ceri only made a convincingly calm, pleasant smile at Suzaku. "Really, now?" She smiled, her eyes closing in her cheerful mood, "That'd pretty interesting, eh, Suzaku-san? We have the same blood type, and now we have the same healing capabilities." The young Honorary Britannian could only make an awkward smile and nod back, murmuring a yes. She then looked at the two other people in the room, "Oh, my bad; I haven't learned your names."

"Such a polite little girl," cooed the man, making the hairs in the back of Ceri's neck stand on edge. "Well, my name would be Earl Lloyd Asplund."

His supposed assistant, now having a chance to recuperate, smiled at her and extended a friendly hand. "And I am Cécile Croomy; it's a pleasure to meet you, Ceri-san."

Ceri smiled back and took the hand, and after they shook she said it was a pleasure to have met them as well. _Even if they already knew me…_ she thought. "Excuse me, Lloyd-san, I know it's not my recommended time, but…" she looked up at the scientist with big eyes and pouting lips. "Please, could I get out in about a few hours?"

Suzaku looked at her sharply from his place at Lloyd's side. "I already told you –" he was cut off when Ceri swiftly pointed to the tube of blood flowing into her, a look of fear suddenly replacing her begging expression. As she stared at him harder, trying to get her point across, her arm started shivering. His eyes stared at his own blood and then looked at the scared patient. "You're hemophobic." A shaky nod came from her.

"I don't want to look at it. But then I'd have nothing better to do if I'm stuck in here. It'll be a living hell."

"Movies, TV shows, maybe even the Internet would be available," Cécile offered, also concerned of the girl's wellbeing, despite the fear of blood she was sympathizing with. Ceri was silent, and looked away.

"No, I'd still look at it," she murmured quietly. "This is weird, coming from the daughter of a military officer and a former officer herself, but… I just can't see it." _They think I'm a psycho now, I know it. _She dared a glance at the red substance, but she instantly looked away with a shudder. _Oh well. I just can't be in a room with blood. I can't._ "Please, if you could get me out of here quick, maybe in less than a day, but please let me out."

Lloyd was staring at the girl with a cross between of thoughtfulness and indifference. After a short silence, his expression relaxed and he looked at her with a kind but non-smiling face. "Six hours," he muttered. Suzaku whipped around to protest, but Lloyd beat him to the punch, "I've already said that she heals faster than the average human. She's no weakling, Suzaku-kun." He looked at the pink haired girl again. "Rest for the time being, Ceri-chan. You'll need it."

_That's just what he did last time! _Ceri mentally growled. _Saying my name with such familiarity – without my permission, too, dammit!_ However, trying to replace her annoyance with gratefulness, she smiled at Lloyd and bowed to him as best she could. "Thank you so much, Lloyd-san." Lloyd nodded and silently exited the room, Cécile by his side, which left the two young people alone in the room.

Suzaku, tired, plopped on the chair he'd been sitting on before she'd woken up. With his head back and eyes staring at nothing, he sighed with a pout, "You got lucky."

Ceri could only flash a tiny smirk in response. "I win!" She closed her eyes, suddenly realizing that she was still a bit wiped out as well. "I win…"

* * *

"_Hy-ah!" she ducked the incoming leg swinging for her face, and soon countered with a low spin-kick of her own, knocking her sparring partner down. "Hah, I win!" She giggled for a moment, but when she heard a groan, she gasped worriedly. "Daddy! Daddy, are you okay!?"_

_Her father laughed as he got up and placed a hand on her head, ruffling her brown locks that she'd gotten from him. "I'm fine, kiddo. You've gotten stronger since our last match." He kissed her forehead. "I'm so proud of you…"_

"_Daddy, you'd better not've lemme beat you!" she pouted, her green eyes glaring up at her father's. Her father looked at her with a fake, hurt face._

"____, I'd never do that. You've gotta believe in your abilities, too, y'know."_

"_So I really did win!?" cried the little girl excitedly._

"_Yeah, you did, ___. You win."_

**

* * *

**

Yes, I did do the ___ on purpose.

**Yes, Ceri's not really telling the truth about either of her names.  
****Yes, Ceri's actually a brunette.**

**So yeah, Ceri's a big fat liar. Well, she's actually pretty skinny, but ya know what I mean, right? Right.**

**Okays, time for the review answers!! XD**

**CrystalStarlight95 - Thanks for reviewing. I really appreciated your feedback!! ^^ *hugs***

**Have a nice day, everybody!! **

**- Gabby**


	3. Chapter 2: I Don't Do Skirts

**FINALLY I freakin' updated. God, Ceri would kill me if she were standing right next to me...or maybe she'd do something wore. I dunno.**

* * *

**CHAPTER 2**

_I Don't Do Skirts_

* * *

"_**DADDY!!!**_" Suzaku woke up at three in the morning to screaming. Ceri had been too relaxed when she'd gotten to sleep, so they'd decided to let her sleep and check her out in the morning…which would've been a few hours later hadn't she started having night terrors. Suzaku came over quickly to her writhing form and looked frantically at the monitors. Her heart rate was out of control and her monitorial system was going nuts. Taking that as more than enough incentive to act, the Honorary Britannian grabbed Ceri's shoulders gently and started shaking them.

"Bellamont-san! Bellamont-san! Wake up!"

"_**Daddy, Daddy!!!**_" the pained girl screamed, her body covered in cold sweat. Her eyebrows knotted together and she curled herself up, as if her stomach were in hideous pain.

"Bellamont-san!" Suzaku repeated again, but this wasn't to any avail. He sighed, and tried to silently shake her again. No response except for the tremors. He voiced himself again, this time gently. "Ceri-san, please wake up." That was the first time he'd addressed her to her given name. And, to his shock, it began to work.

"Nngh…" she whimpered again, before her eyebrows slowly relaxed, as did the rest of her taut body. "Nngh…" she grumbled once more before she fluttered her tired eyes open. "Daddy…" she whispered for one last time, before looking at Suzaku. "…Wait, no…it's just you, Suzaku-san." Her voice was underlined with disappointment, but gratefulness shown in her weakened smile. "Thank you, Suzaku-san, for waking me up." Then her eyes started watering up, startling Suzaku even more.

He stared at her and in her eyes saw shadows of intense pain. "Ceri-san, what's wrong?" She blinked, as if she hadn't realized she was crying, and turned her head away, her hair creating a shield for her face. She slowly shook her head, saying she didn't want to talk about it. His concern was only growing with her resistance. He'd cared for Euphie – very, very much so – but ever since he'd found her in that alleyway the day before, he'd felt more and more protective of this girl. Why? Why did he feel this protective of Euphie's old friend?

_I couldn't protect Euphie, _he thought, _but I'll make it up to her by protecting her friend. _"Ceri-san…please tell me. Did…something happen to your father?" Her eyes widened and she looked at him in shock, "You kept screaming 'Daddy' in your sleep." Ceri nodded, a slight blush of embarrassment on her cheeks. She was silent a few more moments before she spoke quietly.

"Daddy and I are very close. I love Momma dearly, and she and I are really close too…but Daddy was my best, best friend. So…" she wiped away oncoming tears from her eyes. "When I was erased from the database of living people, I had to cut off connections with my family." More tears that were quickly brushed away. "I keep a photo of them in my pocket all the time. I still have a few in that box in the alleyway. But, since I can't ever see them again…it feels like Daddy's so close to me, but I always know he's so far away." Finally, she let the tears fall freely, she let her shoulders tremble, and she let her mouth let out her sobs. Suzaku was nervous and sad for his new acquaintance, and wanted nothing more than to help her. Why he did, he had no clue as he watched her sob more and more. After a few more moments of her cries, Ceri was trying to formulate words, but it came out in gibberish. Suzaku had a hard time not making a creeped-out face at the unintelligible grumblings, but she began to form words again, slowly this time. "I – All I want…is for Daddy to hug me again."

Suddenly, Suzaku found _himself_ hugging her. Not as if he were hugging Euphie, but as if he were hugging a friend. If Lelouch weren't a guy and if he weren't straight, then this would be he'd have hugged him if he'd needed comfort – before the days he hadn't known the bastard was Zero, of course. Refocusing on the one who needed his comfort _now_, who had indeed gone into shock at being embraced so unexpectedly. "It's gonna be okay," was all he could find himself to say.

Ceri looked up at him, touched. Her eyes began to tear up in the emotional storm and she found herself crying on Suzaku's shoulder. She felt relieved that she was being hugged. In fact, the relief was so great that it only supplied the reason as to why more water poured from Ceri's eyes. She stayed there, sobbing into the brunet's clothing and not regretting that she was getting it wet. It was odd for her, to let her guard down in front of someone she'd barely met, but the loneliness she felt when she was separated from her loved ones had been too great. It'd been too great for the once-cold soldier's heart. "Thank…thank you…Suzaku-san…"

Suzaku, uncertain of how to react, merely nodded in mute reply. They stayed there like that, Suzaku silent and Ceri crying, for at least a half hour. Finally, Ceri began quieting down, and her breathing began to even out. Suzaku had been in a daze – he still wasn't sure why he had volunteered himself to comfort the girl – for the whole time and had just been embracing her, but soon found that she was sound asleep, right on his shoulder. He blinked and turned his gaze towards her evenly-breathing form. A small, relieved smile was suddenly on his features, and he felt glad that he'd given her comfort. Suddenly feeling wiped out for the early-morning disturbance, he let his eyes fall and he found himself in a deep sleep.

For that whole half an hour and with neither Ceri nor Suzaku realizing it, Lloyd had been outside the room, listening in. He found himself feeling bad for the girl, but his usually indifferent personality prevented him from intruding. Now that he was certain that both were sound asleep, he quietly entered and found the two teens on the hospital bed, Ceri's head on Suzaku's shoulder with the Eleven's own head on top of hers, for lack of a better pillow. He'd have thought it looked like they were lovers, but the Earl of Pudding wasn't that socially retarded. It just looked like they were close friends, even if they'd only known each other for less than a day. Whatever way he looked at it, however, it was still something charming to lay eyes upon.

With a smile, he silently retreated from the room, thinking he could go for an early breakfast. He wasn't that good at staying asleep anyway.

That, and he wanted a good, honest excuse for not having those strange concoctions Cécile always tried to make for breakfast.

* * *

Ceri's eyes fluttered open as she felt her body telling her it was time to wake up. By that newly-formed kink in her neck she was dreadfully feeling as she stretched, she must have fallen asleep on something that wasn't her pillow. Her eyes looked over curiously, but they shot open as they saw who was next to her, still fast asleep. _Crap!!_ she screamed in her head, _Despite that I know who he is, it must've looked frickin' inappropriate if anyone came in here!! CRAP!_ She violently nudged the sleeping teenager from the world of dreams, but in her own rush of feeling uncomfortable, she had actually pushed him off the bed roughly. Despite the impact his back had made on the cold hospital floor, however, the brunet remained asleep. _Well, that habit hasn't changed, _she thought with a tired smirk. Shaking her head and crossing her arms, she tried to remember what had happened to even get him on the bed. Her eyes widened and a sweatdrop rolled down her head. _Riiight…that little episode with those damn nightmares. _Her thoughts were interrupted as she heard someone knock on the door. "Come in," she called politely.

Lloyd walked into the room, already neatly groomed in his white lab coat to start a new day. "Ohayou, Ceri-chan!" He then looked at the floor and muttered quietly to himself so that Ceri couldn't hear his confusion, "Suzaku-kun…?"

She ignored how irked she felt when he again called her name with such familiarity – it still wasn't very appropriate to her – and nodded back as cheerfully as she could. "Ohayou, Lloyd-san. Sorry I couldn't be outta your hair earlier."

"Nonsense; don't think about it," he said, smiling at her. He then looked to the far left with great concern, and Ceri turned her head halfway before whipping it back again at seeing the last drops of blood flowing into her veins. Now that she thought of it, it actually seemed to be working. "Ah, seems you've taken all the blood you've needed." He saw her wince at the mention of the word. "Oh, sorry; the icky red goop."

"That's a better name," Ceri agreed quietly, but she couldn't deny how childish the new codename sounded. Lloyd went to her side and took out the IVs and other tubes that had made themselves at home on his pink-haired patient's arm. "Thank you."

"Feels better?"

"Very." The awkward silence that shortly followed was soon interrupted by a rumbling sound. "Eh!?" Ceri said, looked down at her own stomach and flushing a bright strawberry red. Lloyd also blankly stared at her before he chuckled lightly. _Go ahead and laugh at me, you bastard; we'll see who'll be laughing once I'm through with you!_ Ceri mentally shouted at the scientist.

"You haven't eaten very much at all, haven't you, Ceri-chan?" he grinned as he said this, and looked at her…kindly? "What would you like for breakfast?" Ceri had never seen him so gentle-looking. It actually seemed…likeable.

She blinked, "Oh! Uh…could it be anything?"

"From pizza to asparagus."

_Weird way of putting it, _Ceri thought, "Um…are chocolate chip waffles and gummy worms alright?"

The expression on Lloyd's face soon changed from kind to a bit bewildered at the choice she'd made. She stared blankly at him, her answer unwavering still. Eventually, the earl shrugged, "Well, I did say anything." He smiled and held up his whole left hand as he turned to leave. "It should be ready in five. Do you think Suzaku-kun would mind having the same thing?"

"Maybe not with the gummy worms…" Ceri mused to him, earning a nod from Lloyd before he cheerily walked out of the room, leaving her in silence with a snoring Suzaku still on the ground. She cocked an eyebrow at him. "How the hell can you even _manage_ to do that?" She received a snore in reply, making the sweatdrop reappear again on her head. "Oh, why do I even bother?" Taking the silence to look about the room, Ceri noticed a pile of fresh and new clothing on a table not too far away from her. Since there had to be a lot of blood on her old clothes, she figured that they'd still be in the process of washing, or they had been discarded altogether. Remembering how long and lasting blood stains could be, the latter was the more likely to have happened. But she hadn't wished for them to get her clothes that still had the price tags on them. Maybe a used uniform would've done well. Yes, she'd have accepted that. Save for the fact that the uniforms… _Wait a minute…_ she thought, narrowing her eyes a bit. Getting up from her seat on the bed and crawling over Suzaku to reach the table, Ceri carefully went over the articles of clothing.

A casual yet form-fitting black jacket with a large hood…a blue-green long-sleeved shirt that was fairly big and looked comfortable…apparently new tennis shoes since blood must've gotten on them as well…

_Oh, KAMI-SAMA, no._ She picked up the next article of clothing with only two of her fingers, as if it would kill her at any second.

A pleated…

Gray…

Super-duper short…

"SKIRT!?" she screamed, her green eyes widening. The sleeping Suzaku suddenly jolted and the Honorary Britannian was wide awake and looking about his surroundings like someone had gotten killed. Hearing his jostling awake, Ceri turned to Suzaku and held the skirt into his face. "Okay, you – WHO IN THE HELL BOUGHT ME THESE CLOTHES!?"

"L-L-Lloyd, why?" said the bewildered brunet. What was so wrong about skirts…?

"THAT FLIPPIN' PERV!" she screamed, basically shattering the demure resemblance to Euphie she bore into millions of tiny fragments. "What is it with people on this planet being bent on making me wear skirts!?" She was about to tear her hair out, she was so angry. After a few more of very colorfully-worded ranting, Ceri slumped forward and took a breather. She looked over at Suzaku and found that he was backed up against the bed without leaving any room whatsoever, his eyes astonished.

"But we don't have time getting you a new pair of pants or shorts," he pointed out after his sense was regrouped to his body. "It's probably gonna be cold outside, too, but it's better than walking in the streets with just your underwear." Ceri shot him a glare so sharp he felt electrical currents arise between them. "What?"

"In case you haven't noticed, Suzaku-san," she growled deeply. "I. Don't. Do. Skirts."

"Well today you do," Suzaku argued quickly, beginning to climb his way back up from the floor. "How'd I get all the way down here…?" she heard him mumble under his breath before dusting himself off. "Anyways," he continued at a more listenable volume. "I don't really care if you don't do skirts or not. You're wearing it and that's final."

Ceri was just about to protest, but she closed her mouth and looked shamefully away. _Damn, I could never argue with anyone…_ she thought begrudgingly. However, she was going to make it clear that she wasn't into wearing skirts and that she never would wear a skirt. "Alright, fine. I wear the dinky thing. But if I get sick 'cause this pathetic excuse for practical clothing never kept me warm – which it won't no matter how one looks at it, by the way – you or Lloyd-san are dead, got it!?"

What scared Suzaku in that statement was that Ceri actually sounded serious. "O-Okay," he stammered, facing his palms at her in surrender. Ceri glared at him for the rest of the few moments before Lloyd entered the room in his jolly old manner, carrying two plates of steaming chocolate waffles and a bag of gummy worms crammed in one of his coat's pockets.

"Ohayoooou!!" he chirped as he set the plates and the bag on the table next to the chair Suzaku had been previously sitting in. "Ceri-chan wanted chocolate waffles and gummy worms, so I was happy to oblige with some breakfast for Suzaku-kun as well!!" He grinned and closed his eyes cheerily. However, his mood was quickly diminished as he noticed the rose-haired patient glaring at him, her shoulders hunches, her brow furrowed, and her fists balled. In fact, it looked like she was about to kill him on the spot.

"If the accommodations regarding clothing weren't so lacking in this gown," she growled, "your nose and wrists would be broken already." She held up the skirt to the scientist's face. "WHY did you think a former soldier would be caught dead in this!?"

"Just because you were in the military doesn't mean you're a full-fledged man, Ceri-chan," Lloyd said matter-of-factly. He grabbed the pack of gummy worms from the table. "Now, since you don't like what I've so generously provided for you, you probably won't mind if I take these gummy worms away." Instantly the girl stiffened and grabbed the package to her chest quicker than Suzaku could blink, her green eyes pleading.

"No no no!" she cried hastily, "It's fine! Really! I'm sorry, Lloyd-san! I really am!" Both the men in the room with her were, needless to say, uncomfortable with her seemingly obsessive passion for the inanimate cluster of candy in her hands. She looked away, a red tinge on her cheeks. "I…shouldn't have acted so violently. You guys have done a lot for me already, so…I should just shut my trap. Okay? Okay." She then politely shooed out both of them so she could change, but she gave Suzaku his plate of chocolate waffles before she closed the doors on them.

"What an oddball…" Suzaku murmured, the second time he'd thought of her that way. Lloyd made a quiet smirk and chuckle.

"Yes, but aren't we all?" he mused. Sometimes Suzaku didn't know exactly what to think of his somewhat boss. There'd be times when he'd be so philosophical that one would think he was another Einstein – speaking of whom, he wondered why Nina had taken the princess's death so hard – and then there would be other times when everyone would think that the light-haired man was just plain insane. "She seems pleasant enough, though. Might compensate for the confusion I believe she'll bring on."

Suzaku cocked an eyebrow as he stuffed the first forkful of waffles in his mouth. He switched he portion to one side of his mouth so he could speak cogently. "Excuse me?" he grumbled through the breakfast.

The superior looked at his subordinate with a dry but knowing look. "Notice how she's been very careful about what she says about her past," Lloyd began, "It's mysterious, suspicious even, and that may – or may not – lead to trouble. With women, Suzaku-kun, I doubt you could ever know for sure." He shrugged, "But like I said before – she seems nice enough. Maybe you won't get that many headaches that way." After a few more moments of Suzaku stuffing more waffles into his mouth – he hadn't realized how hungry he'd been until this morning – Lloyd began chuckling, making Suzaku's eyes lift up to look at his face. "How scandalous it will be, for such young people living in the man's apartment."

For some reason he couldn't understand, it infuriated Suzaku that Lloyd would speak of Ceri that way, but since hitting a superior was a Don't in any form of even civil law, all he could do was shoot him a glare. "It's not like we'll be sharing the same bed, Lloyd. I think she can have my bed and I sleep on the couch. If she stays long, than I can save enough money to get her a bed of her own. There'd be a reason to put that one empty room to use…" now he was beginning to mumble to himself about what he'd do with a stranger in his living quarters. But he wouldn't be able to live it down if he'd left her in that box she claimed to live in. That was just inhumane.

"You can come in now!" they heard a call from Ceri, who opened the door for them. They saw her all cleaned up, pouting and blushing while her gaze was averted from them. "…I feel retarded," she grumbled quietly, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Well, I told you – it's better than going out with nothing," Suzaku repeated casually as the two men walked in, grabbing his fork for another helping of waffles. "By the way, you might wanna eat before we can get you settled in."

She suddenly brightened and her head looked eagerly at the plate of waffles and bag of gummy worms. "Food!"she cried as she rushed over to sit on the chair. She bent over from the chair to scoop up forkful after forkful of waffles, her free elbow supporting her as she did. Soon enough she devoured the chocolate waffles in their entirety and she moved on to the unopened package of candy. She gently took it, but the greediness her hands contained was evident as she brought it closer to herself. Diamonds seem to glitter giddily in her eyes as she stared upon the red, green, white, and yellow worms inside. "Heeheeheee…" she chuckled, enough evidence for her to be a madwoman.

All the while, Suzaku and Lloyd could only stare as she ripped the bag open and started digging her fingers into it, chewing the worms like there would be no tomorrow. "MMM!" she cried joyfully as she ate yet another.

"C-C-Ceri-san…" the brunet stammered, making the pink-haired girl look at him with his own eyes curiously, a red worm still dangling from her mouth. "You could choke on those, you know." This only made the strange girl blink twice at him, before eating the rest of the worm. She then smiled at him with her eyes closed.

"Relax," she said, "I can eat two packages nonstop. I haven't died yet. The only time I did was when I was, like, three. I think…yeah, that was three." She plopped a green and white worm in her mouth, chewing it in the corner of her mouth as she continued, "It was the beginning of my Gummy Addiction: I didn't want Momma to cut the worm into tiny pieces, so I chewed it whole. Damn, I paid for that one." She swallowed it and giggled again, but her she let out a light gasp. "Wait, I'm being rude!" She pulled two worms from the bag and offered them up to the men. "Want one?"

Lloyd smiled and took the offered candy, plopping it into his mouth. However, Suzaku stared at it before tentatively agreeing to take it into his hand. Ceri looked at him curiously. "What? Haven't you ever had one before?" After Suzaku shook his head, he sighed, "Well, have you ever eaten a _real_ worm before?"

"What?" he asked, so shocked that his tone came out flat. He had, but it was still such a weird question to ask!

"You heard me: A real worm. The training for the army wasn't – and probably still isn't – easy, especially on those survival courses," Ceri explained, reminding Suzaku that she had been a military officer before her life had seemed to go downhill. "So, what I'm getting at is that you can just eat it like the real worm. Head first."

Lloyd turned a few shades too pale. "Ugh, Ceri-chan! I can't believe you can still _eat_ and you're saying that!"

Ceri looked at him flatly, plopping and chewing another worm in her mouth and switching it to her left side as she spoke to him with her right. "Wow, you're a prissy scientist," she muttered innocently, not intending to be offensive, and then she looked at Suzaku, "So? Have you or haven't you?" The brunet nodded, but it was very tentative still. "Okay then, then you should eat this no problem."

Suzaku looked at the worm and forced himself to not imagine it being squirming and brownish-pink. Gulping, he ate it head first. His eyes went wide and an "Mmm!" resonated from his throat. "That's…really good!"

"You sound like a kid who hasn't eaten candy in his life…" Ceri commented cynically, chewing on yet another worm. When she saw Suzaku's guilty face, her eyes shot open. "No. Way." Leaping up and almost dropping the precious bag of gummy worms, she grabbed his shirt collar. "You're frickin' seventeen! You deprived son-of-a-bitch, why haven't you ever tasted candy!?"

The older boy blinked a few times, "Uh… Exercise nut?" He used the nickname Lelouch would always call him, even back then. When they'd been best friends; him, Lelouch, and Nunnally. A sharp pang of nostalgia washed over him, but he quickly shook it off. Those days were over. Nunnally was innocent, but Lelouch… Again, the thoughts were pushed to the back of his mind as he slowly pried Ceri's fingers off his shirt. "C'mon, hurry up and eat. We don't want to impose on Lloyd and Cécile any longer." Without another word, Suzaku left the room to Lloyd and Ceri.

Ceri's hands were still frozen where Suzaku had touched them. "Did I say something?" she asked as she slowly returned her hands to her sides.

Lloyd was silent as he stared sadly at the door. After a few more moments, he sighed. "I…I think you reminded him of someone." He saw Ceri stiffen, and his eyes shown with sympathy. "Sorry, you get that a lot, don't you?"

The pink haired girl was hunched over slightly, head hanging slightly as she stared at the cold floor, her hair sweeping over to cover the sides of her face. "…But I'm not her."

* * *

"Sorry," Ceri said quietly.

Suzaku was jolted out from his reverie, his sunglass-covered eyes looking over to his new roommate. "Excuse me?" Ceri had barely said anything after they'd exited the hospital, and they were already three quarters of the way to the brunet soldier's apartment.

His sakura-haired companion was quiet for a few moments, but then nodded, "I…I'm sorry…if I reminded you of…well, anyone, back there…" She looked at him with those green eyes that seemed strangely familiar. "I didn't mean to, you know that, right?"

His eyes widened for a moment, but then his expression softened. Being nearly two heads taller than her, he patted her hair gently, making her blush only slightly. "No, it was my own thoughts that reminded me of someone, and it was something from what I said. Don't worry about it, okay, Ceri-san?"

A few quiet moments passed before Ceri nodded slightly. "Okay, Suzaku-san…"

They walked the rest of the way in a comfortable silence, Ceri merely looking around the city's bustle. _It looks a lot different here…_ she thought, her emerald eyes gazing in wonder of the tall buildings that may or may not be gone within the next day thanks to the Knightmares running amok around this place. _It's so sad…a lot of people seem happy here, like the war's not even going on…_ It was so interesting, to see people with such a burden on their shoulders and above their heads – a burden she herself had never experienced – and to be able to shrug it off the way the Elevens were doing.

"We're here."

"Eh!?" the pink-haired girl jolted, caught off guard by the sudden intrusion of thought. After regaining her composure, she looked up, eyes wide and mouth open in an 'o' shape, to see a large apartment complex. "Damn. The units seem pretty big, Suzaku-san." Even where she came from, she didn't think she'd ever laid eyes on such large-looking apartments; the ones she'd seen were normally a quarter or a half less the size that Suzaku's was.

Suzaku chuckled modestly, rubbing the back of his head. "It's pretty nice, to tell you the truth." He winked, "One of the perks of being in the military, right?"

"We didn't even get decent apartments, lucky bastard you," Ceri grumbled half-teasingly, smiling good-naturedly at her new roommate-to-be and earning a laugh from him as well before he headed towards the complex, making her quickly follow suit. She quietly pursued, looking about the quaint building with curiosity, but keeping her guard as she usually did in public. But that would end soon. Hopefully she would have a real bed – maybe even just a couch – to sleep in tonight, or within the next few. She didn't care; something to properly call home was good enough.

He lead her through five flights of stairs – being the exercise nut he was, he never took the elevator, and she was perfectly fine with it – and two hallways until they reached the second door on the left, Apartment 501; after having observed the other floors, Ceri had figured that the apartments with '01' were the biggest in the building. It worried her slightly; wouldn't Suzaku be a bit more hated because of this small factor, the factor that he had the biggest room on the floor? She didn't really know for sure, but she did know for sure that people were like that. Said brunet smiled and turned the keys in the knob, opening it wide for her.

"Welcome home, Ceri-san."

That simple expression would have been enough to make her cry. She looked at the room with awe, although it looked like any other home. But she couldn't help but feel something special in this one. It felt like _her _home, the home she'd had before she gotten stuck in this situation. She walked into the room, desperate to get a closer look at the place she'd be living in from now on. There was a blue couch in front of a black TV set, complete with a VCR, stereo set, and radio set, all framed in a light wood frame. The kitchen wasn't too far away, with granite countertop and oak wooden cabinets. There was a small corridor, which led too two small rooms on the left and one on the right. "Wow, this is nice…" she finally breathed, her eyes widening in awe.

Suzaku laughed softly. "Thanks. My room is the only really large thing in here, that's the only room down the left. The two on the right is the bathroom and…well, come to think of it, I never gave the other room much thought."

Possessing cat's curiosity, Ceri instantly bolted for the mysterious doorway, perceiving which one to be the bathroom after she cracked the door open and saw the toilet. Once she placed her hand on the doorknob, the strange girl opened it enthusiastically, and a smile instantly spread across her face. "Awesome!" she exclaimed, causing Suzaku to stride over there as a result of curiosity. His eyebrows arched in surprise. He hadn't expected a room so large. Well, it wasn't as large as his room, but still pretty decent.

"I told Lloyd I was gonna have you take my room and I'd get the couch, but…" instantly he could feel an electric current from the sharp look Ceri was giving him, making him sweatdrop nervously. "But…you probably wouldn't let me, right?"

She smiled wryly. "Suzaku-san, I really think we'll get along great."

"Unfortunately for you, I'm forcing you to take my bed until we get you a mattress."

"Damn hospitable bastard."

A roaring laugh escaped from Suzaku's throat, a laugh harder than all the ones he'd had in a long time. In her own rough way, Ceri was cute. Not in a way in which he liked her as more than a friend, because he found that there was no way he could possibly do that, but in the way she liked to act tough.

The sound of him laughing brightened Ceri's face. _I miss hearing him laugh like that… _she thought, a softer smile reaching her features.

His laugh soon died down as he wiped tears of mirth away with his finger. "Oh boy, that was great. I'm sorry, Ceri-san, but that was just great."

She stuck her tongue out before venturing into the open space, trying to figure out with what she was going to do with it. "Well, since I'm gonna be spending a lot of time here, obviously…I think I'll have the bed right between these two windows. Oh, that closet's nicely-sized. And I guess I can have an entertainment center right here…"

Suzaku winced for a moment. "…I'm gonna be broke."

"Nonsense, baka. I have my own stash of cash that could easily pay your rent several times over." She was finished observing the room and winked at him. "Don't worry your curly little head."

"Soldier money?"

"Mercenary."

"WHAT?!"

Ceri shrugged. "What? Had to make an extra living somehow…then of course I'll get a part-time job."

"Like what?"

"…Pizza Hut, maybe? I dunno. We'll see." She then proceeded to walk out of the room and soon out the door. "I'll be back in a few hours; my box in the alley's calling."

And before he could insist on helping her, she was gone.

* * *

Walking back to the apartment with two roller suitcases filled with things, Ceri looked around idly, noticing all the shops that she somewhat remembered, but everything still seemed to different. "Sure has changed here," she mused, but then her look darkened as she saw a riot across the street. Two guys fighting over what side they were on. Britannia, with Lancelot, or Japan, with the Black Knights. Others had joined the fray, while there were a handful of people on the sidelines, unsure of whether or not to join in.

Or perhaps, Ceri thought, they had been reminded how unsure they were about which sides to choose.

_It's either Japan's liberated and its own free country, which Zero said, or the Britannian tyranny that's taken place for well over eleven or so years, which Suzaku indirectly promotes. There's no middle ground, no balance of Japan being free but Britannia ceasing to be tyrannical. _She'd stopped to gaze at the riot, like many others hand, all the while, her face hidden by the black hood of the jacket. Her eyes shimmered with sympathy. _And this can be the cause of all these civil crises. Why tear a land apart? There should be a neutral movement, where it's fair. But there's no way that would get around…unless someone were to represent it._

Sighing, she turned away and continued her journey home.

_Daddy, who's going to be the middle symbol?_

* * *

"I'm back!" Ceri called as she knocked on the door, the sweet aroma of Chinese takeout filling her nostrils. _Is that orange chicken?_ she briefly wondered before Suzaku opened the door. She smiled sweetly at him. "Hi."

"Welcome back," he said, shocked at the hour at which she returned, "But it's nearly seven and dark as heck. How far was the alley?"

"Inside Shinjuku. I figured no one would find me there and just mistake me for a random hobo."

Suzaku sweatdropped. "You…"

"Yup, I know, I'm silly. But hey, at least I came back alive, right?" she giggled as she rolled past him and down the hallway, lightly kicking her new bedroom door open and flicking the light switch on with her elbow. She plopped the two suitcases down before the doorbell rang, causing both the roommates to look curiously but cautiously at the door. Quick as she could, Ceri searched a pocket of one of the suitcases and protruded a rifle, with which she quietly – along with Suzaku and his mysterious new baseball bat – crept towards the door with. Suzaku quickly whipped the door open, revealing a delivery boy with an Ashford Academy-crested uniform, shocked at the two weapons that the roommates were holding.

"Uh…" he stuttered as Ceri quickly hid the rifle behind her back and Suzaku placed the bat to the side. "Delivery for Cerise Bellamont, new arrival of Ashford Academy." He held a package, also stamped the Ashford crest, out to Suzaku. "I presume you're Cerise?"

"Kami," muttered the actual patron of the package as she marched right over and gently took the package from her brunet friend. "Sorry sir, but I'm Cerise. Sorry for the confusion due to the nature of my order. Have a nice day…" the boy have her a weak smile as she locked the door on him, "…idiot," she finished. Without really thinking, she gave the package back to Suzaku and walked back to her room.

With an arched eyebrow and _severely_ confused psyche, Suzaku looked at the package and tentatively opened it. He was even more confused when he saw the actual contents. "Oi, Ceri-san?"

"Wha-?" she casually replied, peaking her head out the bedroom door, her own eyebrow cocked to see what he sounded so confused about.

She smirked when she saw Suzaku holding up a male Ashford Academy uniform, though it looked tailored to fit a girl's curves nicely. "Well, this is your lesson for the day."

"What lesson?"

"_I don't do skirts_." With a wicked smirk, she winked as she disappeared back into her bedroom. Suzaku assumed that this was the kind of nuttiness he'd have to deal for a long time…

* * *

**Don't you just love Ceri? XD I do, actually, even though she's a liar half the time.**

**HEY LOOKIE another person who's gonna done somethin' for the war. AND she's a complete tomboy. I wish there were pants optional at my school. T^T**

**REVIEW ANSWERS!!**

**GEASS SLAVE** - I was never intending to have Suzaku and Ceri like each other. For reasons right now unknown, you and the others will realize exactly why this is a SUZAxEUPHIE, GINOxOC fic.

**Hotspur** - Will do!

**LoneTraveller** - The Pink Princess never died, hm? You're somewhat on the right track. Somewhat. But again, this is a SuzaxEuphie fic, albeit an indirect one.

**The Vampire of Britannia** - O HAI. I haven't heard from you in a while. Well, I really hope you liked this chapter!!

**Demon-Wolf101** - OMG I did. ^w^

**xXKaira-HimeXx** - Hopefully I'll be updating a bit quicker, I'll do my best.

**Mistress Meer** - You just made a very keen observation, dearie. Nice.

**Hope you liked it guys. I LOVE YOU. - Gabby**


	4. PLEASE READ THIS

Dear Readers –

It pains me to say this, if reactions to this letter are what I don't hope they will be, but both _A Stranger He's Always Known _and _Lunar Thief_ will be taken down, and more than likely permanently. Over the years I've lost the passion to write them; it doesn't seem fun to me anymore. The plots fizzled out in my own heart, if it didn't for those lovely faithful readers who still read them anyway. I greatly appreciate you all, and love you very much. I hope none of you will think this childish, even if I won't blame you anyway, but in my mind I think it's time to move on with some things. _Children of Waves and Storms _and _As the Rain Falls_, however, still have their plots written as well as possible, and are my personal favorites. Please understand this.

**Expect them taken down within a week.**

Selene, Apollo, and Cerise are OCs I will always hold dear, and please don't forget them, as I never will. Who knows, maybe when I'm old and have time I'll write anew. Who knows.

If anyone wants to know what was meant to happen in either of them, please let me know. I'll do my best to answer it.

_Terribly Sorry, and I Still Love You All And Thank You Sincerely,_

Watersoul the Head Star Walker  
**Lunarobi Pride**  
Color-de-la-Musica  
**Gabby**


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